Root Canal Procedure for Saving Infected Tooth

If you have been experiencing gnawing pain in your jaw for quite some time now, there is a strong likelihood that you have a tooth abscess. This can be further bolstered if the pain simply does not go away even with conventional over-the-counter pain relievers. A visit to your dentist can confirm your suspicion. What he tells you next might come as a surprise. You will need a root canal.

What is a Root Canal?

The root canal is a treatment procedure designed to repair and/or save a tooth that has been badly damaged, grossly decayed, or severely infected. It involves the remediation of the dental pulp inside your tooth that contains the nerve endings. These nerve endings are what are sensitized if the surrounding dental pulp is inflamed or infected. Sometimes, when the infection has spread into the deeper structures of the tooth socket,an abscess may form.

How is Root Canal Performed?

Just like any dental Endodontics Santaquin procedures, the root canal can be as simple as a drill-disinfect-fill type of procedure, which can last for a session, or two, depending on the general state and number of teeth involved. Your overall health status is also considered.

First, your dentist injects a local numbing agent into the gums that surround your affected tooth. An opening will be created on the surface of the dental crown in order to reach the inner pulp of your teeth. A special type of device known as an endodontic file will then be used to scrape off and remove the infected pulp out from the root canal. The entire length of the root canal is then shaped to accommodate a filling material. The canal is irrigated to further clean and remove debris.

Your dentist will then fill the canal with a filling material known as Gutta Percha effectively sealing the canal from contamination and possible re-infection. As the gutta percha only seals the canal, a layer of filling material is applied over the opening to cover the gutta percha, albeit temporarily. Unless a dental crown or a permanent filling is ready to be placed, the temporary filling serves as protection for the gutta percha.

Bacterial inflammation involved in gum disease has been linked to chronic health problems like stroke, coronary artery disease, and premature low birth weight babies, according to Canyon Dental Clinic. This is why it’s necessary that you take care of your oral health.

Root canals are one way of saving your teeth from infection and tooth decay. It is simple yet very effective in preventing the loss of teeth.